MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Mark Holmes did not play in this game, for reasons that I have yet to ascertain. And that leads us to the big question of the night: How in the world did NPU hang around in this one without Mark Holmes?

I caught about 5 minutes of the Carthage pregame show...John Weiser said he had some kind of knee injury.

[Gregory Sager]

Agree with Q, a very big game at The Shirk tonight.  Hope the IWU faithful turnout bigtime, even in the cold, and produce the first 2,000+ crowd of the season tonight. (already Wednesday here in HK).  Agree that TO and rebounding battle will be crucial in a game where every possession will be needed.  Let's hope the Titans play like they have been playing of late, from the perimeter, the paint and all the role players too.  If so, I think this game will turn out well for the home team.  I'd say IWU 69, NCC 61. Also seems absences due to illness or injury more likely to be a factor for NCC than for the Titans.

Go TITANS!!!  Let's finished the first go'round in CCIW play 7-0!

IWU70

Wow.

[Gregory Sager]

Mark Holmes did not play in this game, for reasons that I have yet to ascertain. And that leads us to the big question of the night: How in the world did NPU hang around in this one without Mark Holmes?

I caught about 5 minutes of the Carthage pregame show...John Weiser said he had some kind of knee injury.

Great. Just great.

[Titan Q]

NCC's Brandon Williams on the season...

FG: 24-85 (.282)
3-point: 2-14 (.183)
FT: 40-63 (.635)
39 assists/42 turnovers


The Cardinals have a pretty big problem at PG.  Ron Rose exploited the heck out of it tonight and I'm sure everyone else will try to as well.

[Gregory Sager]

To be honest, the outcome might have been different were Gamble, Tiknis and Raridon 100 percent. 

On the season Raridon, Gamble, and Tiknis average 39 points and 17 rebounds...in 88 minutes per game.

Tonight they had 44 points and 14 rebounds...in 102 minutes.

What else were they going to do?

Score 9 more points? 

I didn't watch that game tonight. I can only go by what I saw on Saturday evening. But Gamble could barely put weight on his sprained ankle when he left the building, and he was leaning with his arm around the shoulder of an older gentleman whom I assume was his dad; Tiknis was visibly limping around in street clothes; and Raridon was clutching his iced-up bad shoulder and wincing as he left the gym.

Perhaps they healed up remarkably well between Saturday night and tonight. It could happen. I'm in no position to say. And perhaps the adrenaline kicked in at game time tonight and they were each able to completely ignore the pain and make their respective dysfunctional joints function properly. But I know what I saw. And what I saw was that all three Cardinals stars were in a bad way when they left NPU on Saturday night, and that's a fact.

[Gregory Sager]

NCC's Brandon Williams on the season...

FG: 24-85 (.282)
3-point: 2-14 (.183)
FT: 40-63 (.635)
39 assists/42 turnovers


The Cardinals have a pretty big problem at PG.  Ron Rose exploited the heck out of it tonight and I'm sure everyone else will try to as well.

His backups, Pat Rourke and Jack Merrithey, are very weak shooters as well (Rourke is .321 and .261 from the field and from downtown, although he's a fine FT shooter at .857, and Merrithey is .176, .154, and a statistically insignificant .600). But they both distribute and take better care of the ball than does Williams; Rourke's ratio is 24:15 and Merrithey's is 9:2. Even so, I could see on Saturday in the NCC @ NPU game that neither one really appears to be the answer. The question is: Does Todd Raridon change ships in mid-stream and go with Rourke, anyway, given what he's getting out of Williams?

The Cardinals have gotten very far without missing Kevin Gillespie too badly this season, but they may have reached the point where the lack of a solid PG is really starting to haunt them.

[Mr. Ypsi]

To be honest, the outcome might have been different were Gamble, Tiknis and Raridon 100 percent. 

On the season Raridon, Gamble, and Tiknis average 39 points and 17 rebounds...in 88 minutes per game.

Tonight they had 44 points and 14 rebounds...in 102 minutes.

What else were they going to do?

Score 9 more points? 

I didn't watch that game tonight. I can only go by what I saw on Saturday evening. But Gamble could barely put weight on his sprained ankle when he left the building, and he was leaning with his arm around the shoulder of an older gentleman whom I assume was his dad; Tiknis was visibly limping around in street clothes; and Raridon was clutching his iced-up bad shoulder and wincing as he left the gym.

Perhaps they healed up remarkably well between Saturday night and tonight. It could happen. I'm in no position to say. And perhaps the adrenaline kicked in at game time tonight and they were each able to completely ignore the pain and make their respective dysfunctional joints function properly. But I know what I saw. And what I saw was that all three Cardinals stars were in a bad way when they left NPU on Saturday night, and that's a fact.

(OOPS!  Hit post before I typed anything!)

Greg, I don't doubt at all what you say.  Last winter I was in Holland for the first two rounds of the tourney.  Friday night, both my eyes and Jordan Zimmer's grandfather said he could not possibly play on Saturday (and John Koschnitsky's father said the same about John); Saturday night, Jordan and John took over the game and did not ALLOW #1 Hope to win.  NEVER doubt the resolve of a young athlete! 

That, however, was different, since that could have been the last game they would ever play competitively.  Since the NCC 3 have a number of games to go, I don't know whether or not this was relevant, but thought I'd toss it out there for thought.

[Gregory Sager]

I don't question anybody's resolve, Chuck. The question here between Q and iwumich seems to revolve around the respective capabilities of the three NCC stars. Could they have done more for their team tonight, given their physical limitations? Or did those limitations vanish?

As I said, I didn't see the game. Having previously cited the ailments of the Cardinals stars beforehand, I'm strictly in CYA mode here.

Your examples from last season aren't really relevant. Every athlete is different, and every injury is different.

I'm sure that Mark will weigh in on this sooner or later, and perhaps all of you folks who saw that game can triangulate your way to a conclusion.

[iwu70]

Watching the IWU-NC matchup was a great joy -- even in the a.m. hours here in Asia.  Two excellent teams fighting it out, with the NC big three playing hard, playing so well.   No doubt some limitations due to injury, Gamble getting tired in the closing minutes, Raridon out for 2+ minutes with the eye cut.  Raridon made some great step-back, fadeaway shots with Titans just all over him, so my hat is off to him.  Titan D was very good, with interior D by Reed, Musselman, Anderson, Zman and Victor Davis really a key factor in this win.  As others have mentioned, Overstreet is "maturing" (as the commentators put it) much more and faster than loyal Titan fans could have hoped for.  He's playing solid, running the offense, scoring, moving, pushing the pace, finding open bigs, and turning it over very very rarely now.  The IWU depth and general health of the rotation down through 11-12 players if needed, is such a huge asset in games like this, when foul trouble comes, when you need another type of set or matchup.  This is a very deep, complete and healthy team right now, functioning on all cylinders at the right time to make the stretch run to the CCIW crown.  We'll see, but it sure is going well, being very positive right now.   My hat is off to NCC.  They battled hard, played exceptionally well, within whatever injury or tiredness circumstances, but the limitations of depth and the problems at PG hurt them tonight.  The Titans using zone vs. NCC -- who would have thunk it.   And, if you look at the box, this game was the ultimate reversal of roles for the Titan O -- perimeter players/shooters not hitting treys, but driving and slashing, and the Titan bigs -- esp. Davis and Zman -- stepping out on the perimeter and just nailing the treys in the first half.  Quite a game.

(No more predictions from me -- I'm resting on my laurels tonight, smiling all the way with this win . . .and also the Titan women, with Katy Seibring on a roll, winning tonight too at Carver).  Good stuff. 

Keep it rolling Green.

IWU70

[iwu70]

Greg, I see perfectly clearly -- 69-61 it is, 69-61 it was.   

Life is good in Titanland just now.  Ron Rose has it rolling again at the right time of the season and has so so many useful and healthy players  . . . to start, and sitting along that long Titan bench. 

Gotta love it.  So far, so good.

Of course, alot of basketball yet to be played . . . IWU has some tough away games upcoming.

IWU70

[magicman]

Greg, I see perfectly clearly -- 69-61 it is, 69-61 it was.   

IWU70

Well, blind squirrel or not that prediction was awesome, IWU70, and if I was you I'd run out and buy a ticket on one of those upcoming Hong Kong lotteries. Just maybe, you're on a roll.    Oh, and plus K, that's the least I can do for perfection.

[und63]

Agree with Q, a very big game at The Shirk tonight.  Hope the IWU faithful turnout bigtime, even in the cold, and produce the first 2,000+ crowd of the season tonight. (already Wednesday here in HK).  Agree that TO and rebounding battle will be crucial in a game where every possession will be needed.  Let's hope the Titans play like they have been playing of late, from the perimeter, the paint and all the role players too.  If so, I think this game will turn out well for the home team.  I'd say IWU 69, NCC 61.  Also seems absences due to illness or injury more likely to be a factor for NCC than for the Titans.

Go TITANS!!!  Let's finished the first go'round in CCIW play 7-0!

IWU70


I'd say you need to pick up some lottery entries!

[Titan Q]

Updated CCIW efficiency calculations (stats through 7 CCIW games)...

Points per 100 poss. (offensive efficiency)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: 113.7
2. Wheaton: 108.9
3. Augustana: 103.6
4. North Central: 99.4
5. Carthage: 92.1
6. Millikin: 92.0
7. North Park: 90.1
8. Elmhurst: 80.9

Opponent points per 100 poss. (defensive efficiency)
1. North Central: 86.0
2. Illinois Wesleyan: 88.6
3. Augustana: 90.3
4. Wheaton: 95.6
5. Carthage: 96.4
6. Millikin: 102.2
7. Elmhurst: 107.9
8. North Park: 112.3

Differential per 100 poss. (total efficiency)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: +25.1
2. North Central: +13.34
3. Augustana: +13.25
4. Wheaton: +13.0
5. Carthage: -4.4
6. Millikin: -10.3
7. North Park: -22.2
8. Elmhurst: -27.0

[Titan Q]

I didn't watch that game tonight. I can only go by what I saw on Saturday evening. But Gamble could barely put weight on his sprained ankle when he left the building, and he was leaning with his arm around the shoulder of an older gentleman whom I assume was his dad; Tiknis was visibly limping around in street clothes; and Raridon was clutching his iced-up bad shoulder and wincing as he left the gym.

Perhaps they healed up remarkably well between Saturday night and tonight. It could happen. I'm in no position to say. And perhaps the adrenaline kicked in at game time tonight and they were each able to completely ignore the pain and make their respective dysfunctional joints function properly. But I know what I saw. And what I saw was that all three Cardinals stars were in a bad way when they left NPU on Saturday night, and that's a fact.

I don't doubt the injuries or how bad things were Saturday at all.  But four days later...

Minutes played at IWU
Raridon - 37 (season avg - 33.8)
Tiknis - 33 (season avg - 29.8)
Gamble - 32 (season avg - 23.6)


I already commented on the trio's production last night - they scored more points as a group than their average, and came within 3 rebounds.  All on the road, against the best defensive opponent NCC will face in the CCIW (in terms of both defensive efficiency and FG% against), and a team that has per game rebound margin of +12.0.

Based on the way these three performed last night it doesn't seem like the injuries were a factor in the outcome of the game.  Raridon, Gamble, and Tiknis played heavy minutes, and played very well.

[toooldtohoop]

didn't see the game, but I would venture to guess that NCC's second half shooting (28% from the field and zero made 3's) had an impact on the result.